Another fallen hero

Published: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 9:21 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 9:21 a.m.

The U.S. has a love affair with its royalty — the celebrities who as often as not are simply famous for being famous.

With no actual royalty — people who are famous through the accidents of DNA or marriage — Americans are left to make up other silly reasons to worship people.

Into this category fall the celebutantes, the Lindsay Lohans and Paris Hiltons and so many others.

Some of our celebrities, though, are actually deserving of their fame. Some are blessed actors or actresses or particularly skilled sportsmen.

Into this category go the Roger Clemenses and the Barry Bondses, the folks who do something better than anyone else.

People all over the world love their famous folks.

We pay people to speed through traffic just to snap a picture of one of these people at dinner or out on a date.

There are few things, in fact, that we love more than our famous people. One of those few things, though, is when these famous people fall from grace.

With Lohan and Hilton, the falls have been long and public.

With Clemens and Bonds, the falls came in the form of long-standing charges of steroids use to get the upper hand on their competition.

The Germans refer to people’s delight in the misfortunes of others as schadenfreude. We in English don’t really have an equivalent. “Sour grapes” doesn’t catch everything about our delight in our celebrities’ foibles. Neither does pure jealousy.

These matters are probably best described and debated by sociologists who, I’m sure, have long, complicated and, no doubt, wrong reasons why we are so enamored with celebs and so happy when they prove themselves human.

What I do know is that the recent case of Lance Armstrong goes beyond this celebrity schadenfreude that is so common.

He was a hero to millions. Even people who knew nothing about cycling rooted for him, this upstart American who defeated cancer and an international pool of competitors, year after year, in cycling’s biggest event.

Armstrong, long the topic of rumors and accusations of steroids use, had stood by his story that he never used chemicals to get ahead.

That all changed, though, when the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency concluded its investigation finding that Armstrong used steroids and led a coverup of his cheating. He was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from cycling for life.

Earlier this week, he sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey in which he seems to have come clean, whatever that might mean to a serial liar, to his transgressions.

He has officially fallen from grace, and many — myself included — are cheering. But please let me explain.

I’m not cheering because I’m happy to see an American hero proven a fraud. And I’m not even cheering to see the brightest star in a filthy sport brought to justice.

It’s even simpler than that, though those are fine reasons all by themselves.

To me, it comes down to my 15-year-old, a kid who plays football and basketball and runs track.

If he at some point contemplates the risk-reward ratio involved in steroids use, I want him to remember Lyle Alzado, the NFL star defensive end who blamed his terminal brain cancer on his steroids use.

I want him to think about Barry Bonds, the greatest hitter of his generation and perhaps of all time, who is being (and I hope will always be) kept out of the Baseball Hall of Fame because of the steroids baggage.

And I want him to think about Lance Armstrong. Not the Armstrong who stood on the pedestal with the pretty women and accepted the top prize at the tour year in and year out, but the Armstrong who is disgraced and will surely be stripped of most of his fortune by the people, businesses and governments who will now sue or send him to jail.

If that happens, Lance Armstrong’s journey up and down the ladder of fickle fame will have been worthwhile. And that thought makes me happy.

Editorial Page Editor Michael Gorman can be reached at 448-7612 or by e-mail at mike.gorman@dailycomet.com.

<p>The U.S. has a love affair with its royalty — the celebrities who as often as not are simply famous for being famous.</p><p>With no actual royalty — people who are famous through the accidents of DNA or marriage — Americans are left to make up other silly reasons to worship people.</p><p>Into this category fall the celebutantes, the Lindsay Lohans and Paris Hiltons and so many others.</p><p>Some of our celebrities, though, are actually deserving of their fame. Some are blessed actors or actresses or particularly skilled sportsmen.</p><p>Into this category go the Roger Clemenses and the Barry Bondses, the folks who do something better than anyone else.</p><p>People all over the world love their famous folks.</p><p>We pay people to speed through traffic just to snap a picture of one of these people at dinner or out on a date.</p><p>There are few things, in fact, that we love more than our famous people. One of those few things, though, is when these famous people fall from grace.</p><p>With Lohan and Hilton, the falls have been long and public.</p><p>With Clemens and Bonds, the falls came in the form of long-standing charges of steroids use to get the upper hand on their competition.</p><p>The Germans refer to people's delight in the misfortunes of others as schadenfreude. We in English don't really have an equivalent. “Sour grapes” doesn't catch everything about our delight in our celebrities' foibles. Neither does pure jealousy.</p><p>These matters are probably best described and debated by sociologists who, I'm sure, have long, complicated and, no doubt, wrong reasons why we are so enamored with celebs and so happy when they prove themselves human.</p><p>What I do know is that the recent case of Lance Armstrong goes beyond this celebrity schadenfreude that is so common.</p><p>Armstrong rose to worldwide fame by winning multiple Tour de France bicycle races after beating the cancer that nearly killed him.</p><p>He was a hero to millions. Even people who knew nothing about cycling rooted for him, this upstart American who defeated cancer and an international pool of competitors, year after year, in cycling's biggest event.</p><p>Armstrong, long the topic of rumors and accusations of steroids use, had stood by his story that he never used chemicals to get ahead.</p><p>That all changed, though, when the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency concluded its investigation finding that Armstrong used steroids and led a coverup of his cheating. He was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from cycling for life.</p><p>Earlier this week, he sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey in which he seems to have come clean, whatever that might mean to a serial liar, to his transgressions.</p><p>He has officially fallen from grace, and many — myself included — are cheering. But please let me explain.</p><p>I'm not cheering because I'm happy to see an American hero proven a fraud. And I'm not even cheering to see the brightest star in a filthy sport brought to justice.</p><p>It's even simpler than that, though those are fine reasons all by themselves.</p><p>To me, it comes down to my 15-year-old, a kid who plays football and basketball and runs track.</p><p>If he at some point contemplates the risk-reward ratio involved in steroids use, I want him to remember Lyle Alzado, the NFL star defensive end who blamed his terminal brain cancer on his steroids use.</p><p>I want him to think about Barry Bonds, the greatest hitter of his generation and perhaps of all time, who is being (and I hope will always be) kept out of the Baseball Hall of Fame because of the steroids baggage.</p><p>And I want him to think about Lance Armstrong. Not the Armstrong who stood on the pedestal with the pretty women and accepted the top prize at the tour year in and year out, but the Armstrong who is disgraced and will surely be stripped of most of his fortune by the people, businesses and governments who will now sue or send him to jail.</p><p>If that happens, Lance Armstrong's journey up and down the ladder of fickle fame will have been worthwhile. And that thought makes me happy.</p><p>Editorial Page Editor Michael Gorman can be reached at 448-7612 or by e-mail at mike.gorman@dailycomet.com.</p>